Best foot forward

Here’s the project to put those prized possessions on show – after all, wedges, heels and flats, be they suede, bling or patent, deserve their time to shine, even when they’re not on your feet! So take a small, preloved timber cabinet with shelves and repurpose it. And before you say it’s not big enough to house your impressive footwear treasury, remember, a larger collection just needs a bigger cabinet!

Transforming a preloved piece of furniture into a stylish footwear cabinet is simple – just follow these instructions.

Look for a solid timber cabinet with shelves and panelled doors. If panels are set in routed grooves, drill a hole in each, insert a jigsaw and cut out each panel about 10mm from the edges. Remove the last bits with pliers, jiggling until the panels separate from the frame.

Remove shelves and lightly sand cabinet, inside and out, using fine-grit sanding pads. Sand shelves, too. If you need to drill a new hole for a knob, fill in the old hole with wood filler, dry, then lightly sand. To prevent stains leaching through the topcoat, paint all woodwork with Zinsser B-I-N Primer Sealer Stain Killer, inside and out, and let dry.

Finish with two coats of paint in colour of your choice, allowing time to dry between coats. Cut wire bird netting to suit each panel, allowing for an extra 20-30mm all around. Centre and secure to back of door with staple gun. Fit a shelf support in each hole and put the refurbished shelves back in the cabinet.

Note If your cabinet needs new shelves, buy pine planks to suit, cut to size with a power saw and apply two coats of paint to match. Drill shallow holes into the main frame of the cabinet, in level positions, to suit the plug diameter of the steel shelf supports. Fit shelf supports into the holes, then install the new shelves.

Better Homes and Gardens

1. Put your fab footwear on display! An elegant place to perch while slipping on the perfect pair is a must, too!

Better Homes and Gardens

2. The top of the shoe cabinet can be used as a handy dressing table, where your jewellery and make-up can be kept. An ornate wall mirror hung at just the right height above is ideal for those last-minute checks.

Better Homes and Gardens

3. Once the paint has dried, replace old shelf supports with shiny new ones from the hardware store, then slot the shelves back into position. Simple!

Better Homes and Gardens

4. Make your shoes stand out by painting the cabinet backing board a different colour.

Better Homes and Gardens

5. Select a decorative ceramic knob to coordinate with the backing-board colour of your cabinet. Here, pink is just perfect.